Impact amalgamator



Patented Nov. 10, l925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM W. GIBSON, OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA.

IMPACT AMALGAMATOR.

Application filed April 2, 1923. SerialI No. 629,493.

To all whom it' may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WV. GIBSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at 18011 Elm Street, Alameda, inthe county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Im pact Amalgamators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in 1,0 amalgamators and resides in the provision of a simply constructed, inexpensive and highly .efficient amalgamator which by impact or wave action causes precious metal to collect on the amalgam plates in a thorough and efficacious manner without material loss of precious metal.

An object of the invention is to provide a specially constructed pan or receptacle in which the amalgam plates are supported in upright position and. .so arranged that precious metal will be recovered in a more effective manner and with little or no loss'.

Another object of the invention is tol provide an amalgamator of the character described which may be readily and easily mounted or attached to the ordinary concentrating table whereby the motion givenl the amalgamator will cause waves to be produced in the pulp and the precious metal to be thrown against and collect on the amal gam plates.

Another object is to provide an amalgamator in which all of the quicksilver and amalgam are saved and the amalgamation operation is thereby greatly improved and reduced as to cost.

lith the above-'mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, and set forth in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the .scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of the amalgamator of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view with the cover removed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 3*-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. l is a sectional view taken on the plane of line L1.--1 of Fig. 2.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawing comprises a shallow pan or receptacle, preferably of rectangular outline and made up of a bottom wall 1, side walls 2 and end walls 3. A suitable cover or lid l is adapted to be secured by fastenings 5 to the pan or receptacle and is provided with means 6 for locking the lid in place. The lid is designed to have a tight fit with the receptacle and to seal the same. A hopper 7 is provided at one extremity of the lid in order that the pulp may be fed into the receptacle.

The receptacle is divided into a plurality of small rectangular compartments 8, which compartments are provided by rectangular longitudinally and transversely extending partitions 9 and 10, these partitions being substantially equal in height to the side and end walls. The end wall opposite the hopper is provided with a plurality of discharge openings 11, permitting the tailings to run out of the amalgamator. Each compartment is provided at one end with an opening 12 formed through the partitions 10 near the juuctures of the partitions. These openings are preferably of rectilinear outline and are spaced above the bottom wall. Extending from the partitions 9 close to the openings are small baffle plates 13, which baffle plates are of greater dimensions than the openings and are in frontof the latter.

Mounted in each compartment against the side wall thereof opposite the wall whence the batlie extends, are amalgam plates 14: having the usual amalgam dressing. These plates are held in place by bolts andznuts 15 and 16 and stand on edge rather than lie flat. They cover substantially the area of the entire wal-l against which they are mounted.

The amalgamator is mounted on the usual concentrating table not shown, which table provides the usual reciprocating motion and the pulp is fed into the receptacle through the hopper 7. The pulp will enter the first transverse row of compartments 8 at one end of the amalgamator and on each forward motion of the amalgamator, waves will be created causing the pulp to be thrown against the vertically disposed amalgam plates and through the impact, the precious metal collects upon the said plates. The

discharge opening is comparatively small, and due tothe action of the baile plate, the pulp is retarded from flowing from the compartments of thelirst row and this tends to produce a series ot Waves, the impact of which will cause the precious metal to be separated and to collect upon the amalgam plates. Before the pulp can enter the compartment of the next row it must rise to the elevation of the opening, which, for example, will be ive-eighths of an inch from the bottom of the compartments. This retards the heavy particles of metal and holds back the quicksilver.-l The pulp continues to pass from one row of compartments to the other and each time the head motion ot' the concentrator is effected, Waves will be 'setup in the pulp and directed against the plates.

The arrangement of the plates and other ele? ments is such as to cause the Waves to be directedagainst the plates. This action continues until when the pulp nally reachesy and passes out through vthe discharge openings, practically all of the metals amenable to amalgamation have been removed and little or no loss by escape in the tailings is had.

The'amalgam plates require little or no attention other than to clean ofi' the amal-V gam. This is done by removing the plates and then scraping off the amalgam with a knife or vother instrument. The surplus Quicksilver 'which finds its Way into the mercurytrap of the amalgamator automatically takes care of the plate dressing. The plates will not be scoured as in the ordinaryV amalgamator nor is replating4 required.

One Vof the main features oftheinvention is the arrangement of the amalgam plates by the standing ot' said plates on edge rather than having them lie flat as in theordinary amalgamator. Y. In the ordinary amalgamator every bead of quicksilverrthat escapes into the taling pile is charged with gold and in this Way a great loss of gold is caused. With my amalgamator the quicksilver is prevented from escaping into the tailing pile and there is no appreciable gold loss. My amalgamator may be operated effectively in amalgamating rusty or tarnished gold which ordinarily cannot be recovered by the present methods of amalgamation.

In the operation of the amalgamator the pulp is prevented from overflowing the compartments by the closure or lid, the arrangement of which latter causes the pulp to pass through the comparatively small openings from one group of compartments to the other. This causes the float gold to be submerged and when the latter is submerged. it is subject to being collected upon the amalgam plates as the ordinary particles of gold. In the ordinary amalgamator Where the plates lie flat, the pulp flows over the plates and the loss, due to the tendency of the very fine, light gold to float on top of the Water, is `very great. lVith my amalgamator this loss is prevented.

The battle plates in the., compartments cause the pulp flow to be retarded to such an extent that the rusty or tarnished gold is contained a considerable time in the compartments and as the lighter sand passes through it, it scours the detained tarnished or rusty gold and thereby brightens it suilicient to cause it to amalgamate on the plates.

I claim:

l. An amalgamator comprising a receptacle adapted to be moved to agitate the pulp, a plurality of partitions extending across the receptacle,a plurality of partitions extendingsubstantially at right angles to and joinedV Vwith the rst named partitions, said partitions defining a plurality of compartments each of Which hasfan opening in one ivall thereof providing for intercommunica- Vtionvfith the several compartments and an upright amalgamator plate mounted against one Wall of each compartment-to one side of the openings, which amalgamator plates extend to the bottoms of said compartments.

2. An amalgamator comprising a receptacle adapted to be moved to agitate the pulp, a plurality of partitions extending at right angles to one another in spaced relation across said receptacle and -being joined Where intersected, Which partitions define a plurality of compartments each of which compartments has an opening in one of its Walls providing for communication with the several compartments, baiiie plates mounted in the compartments in line With the openings and adapted to retardthe flow of pulp through the receptacle and a plurality of upright amalgamator plates mounted on the Walls `of the compartments ropposite the Walls from Which the baffle plates extend, which baffle plates extend to the bottom of said compartments. f

WILLIAM W. GIBSON.Y 

